Shortbread has been attributed to Mary, Queen of Scots, who in the mid-16th century was said to be very fond of Petticoat Tails, a thin, crisp, buttery shortbread originally flavoured with caraway seeds. Chef John Quigley discusses and bakes Scottish Shortbread". Scotlandontv.tv. 2006-10-24 . Retrieved 2009-05-29.

one large circle, which is divided into segments as soon as it is taken out of the oven ( petticoat tails, which may have been named from the French petits cotés, a pointed biscuit eaten with wine, or petites gastelles, the old French term for little cakes. This term may also reference the shape of a petticoat [3]); Stamp out as many rounds as you can. Lay them onto a baking tray covered in parchment paper. If you need a little help to lift them off the surface, then just slide a floured spatula or off-set spatula under the cookie round and gently lift it up (Image 7).a b c d e f g h Brown, Catherine (2015-04-01). "Shortbread". The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-931362-4. Shortbread is so named because of its crumbly texture (from an old meaning of the word "short", as opposed to "long", or stretchy). [12] [13] [14] The cause of this texture is its high fat content, provided by the butter. The short or crumbly texture is a result of the fat inhibiting the formation of long protein ( gluten) strands. The related word " shortening" refers to any fat that may be added to produce a "short" (crumbly) texture. [15] The more refined version of shortbread as we know it today is attributed to Scotland, in particular to Mary, Queen of Scots in the 16th century. She was particularly fond of what was known as Petticoat Tails, which was a thin shortbread baked in a large circle and cut into triangular segments. In her day the shortbread was commonly flavored with caraway seeds, which were all the rage in British baking for several centuries. In fact, the earliest published shortbread recipes from the 18th century were more elaborate than the standard shortbread today: They were baked with candied citrus peels and garnished with caraway comfits. Nuts: Any type of chopped nuts can be added to your shortbread mix. Lightly toasted or raw nuts as per your preference, chop them up coarsely for even distribution throughout the dough. Examples you might like are walnuts, pecan, pistachio, almonds, hazelnuts and sesame seeds.

You can either buy caster sugar (it’s overpriced) or make you’re own, which is what I do. Super easy: Just put the sugar in a blender or coffee/spice grinder and pulse until it’s very fine. Herbs: Mixing finely chopped herbs into the dough provides a subtle but herbaceous essence that is delightful. Herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage and lavender are my favourite. Scottish cooks have always been famous for their soups, haggis (a dish traditionally served on Burns Night) and their baking, especially scones, pancakes, fruit cakes, oatcakes and shortbread.

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Since we didn't like them my partner took these biscuits to work and her colleagues agreed that these were the best ginger biscuits they tried and that they loved them, so I am just relaying the information. There are many different recipes and regional variations for shortbread. The following recipe uses rice flour to give a slightly grainy texture: Creating little holes in the top of the shortbread helps any moisture escape from the dough so it cooks more evenly, this also helps create the very ‘short’ texture of the biscuits. In baking terms, 'short' means crumbly with a melt-in-the-mouth texture. It comes from using a high proportion of fat (or shortening) to flour and is also where shortcrust pastry gets its name. Prepare shortbread dough. Beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and vanilla, and beat longer until light and fluffy. Add flour and salt and mix until dough comes together. It will be quite shaggy but hold together when pressed.